Elevator door



Patented Mar. 12, 1929.

Unirse I star-as CHARLES W. PEELLE, F NEVI YORK, N. Y'.,

COMPANY, GF RC-MONI), llilDANA, A. CQBPGRATION OF INDIANA.

ELEVATOR Doon(V Application filed Iveceinber The invention relates to elevator doors, and more particularly to vertically slidable doors et the so-called truclable type in which the movement oi a downwardly movable door section .is arrested with the top bar structure of this section in sul'istantially the planeet theA sill ot a door opening, so that the top` bar struct-ure will substantially span the gap between the edge ot the sill and the edge oi an elevator car, and thus permit ease of movement ot vehicles between the floor of a building' and the elevator car.

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Elevator doors ot the truckalbley type are extensively used, and are essential where the width ol'Y the gap between lthe sill ot door opening' and the edge oi an elevator car is so great as to not permit the tree passage oi' the wheels of vehicles from the sill to the car, or vice versa. The necessity for the use ot doors o'f the truckable type is not determined by any liXeddime-nsions ot' this gap, but at-hor by the conditions of use of the building structure 1n which the doorsare used.

The general practice heretofore has been to utilize the hanger bar ot a door section Vfor supporting; the top bar structure of this section by engagement with stopsseeured to the wal. angle 'ot the guide rail structure for the door eetiomwhich construction not only aiords a rigid'support tor this top bar structure and relieves all'portions ot the door below saine 'from the stresses ot loads upon this top bar, but relieves the chains or other means supporting the weight of the door in its slidino; movement@ and the sheaves over which these chains pass,from stresses trom such load ln other words, in truclqable doors the entire weight et the vdoor section and ot loads upon the top bar thereof, are sustain ed .by the top bar struct-ure which forms a rigid bridge between lthe sill ot the dooropeninp; andthe alat'l'orm et the elevator car, completelyclosg the gap at this pointwiththeexception ot narrow spaces necesi yto permit the movement oit the door upon. the guide rail structure, and to compensate for irregularities in the wall oi the shaft, and for the necessary allowance of space toV permit the free movement ot the elevator car.l l

it has been the occasional practice, heretotore, to substitute angle brackets, one arm of which secured by bolts to the elevator door section :tor the stops upon the wall angle coi operai g with the project-ing` hanger bar, but sncn a construction is satisfactory 3, 1925. Serial No. 152,371;

owing' to the development of shearing strains upon. the bolts securing these angles upon the door section which lcause looseness ci' the kangies, and in some instances, the complete separation oi the angles from thedoor section by the shearing` of the bolts securingthe angies in position, or the bending or breakage v of such bolts.

Another practice has been to use an angle bar extendingfor the full. width of the door section exposed between the j ainbs of the door opening',k one flange of which overhangs t-hev sill.v This overhanging iiangein seine in.- stances hasbeen cut away intermediate the jambsl exce'iting ttor short distances closely adjacent thereto. This construction, however,y has not been extensively used, and .has notA `given saltis'iiactoryV results owing" to the development oi shearingstresses of the chary acter above referred to. j

ln all types oi truckable doors above-referred to, excepting that in `which the hanger bar and stops upon the wall angle kare used, the transmiss'ion of loads from the door section, to thofwall of the elevator shaft is solely by the bolts securing the anglefstops in position upon` the door section. The result is a lach of stability in the'door structure requiro inn` frequent repairsandheavy maintenance expense.

With the above `conditions in .niind,I have produced Van elevator door ot the truclable type, employing` an glo stop tittings adapted to engage the sill-zot' a door openingwhich aro so embodied in the top bar structure of ther door fsectionas to transmit theload of vehicles, whileupon said top bar, tothe wall oi' the eleva-or shaft without developing any shearing sti esses upon the bolts securing' said lgs imposition in relation to said top bar. These iittingsmay be made of malleable iron castings, and have dimensions which will not olier any material obstruction in the'doorway. They may also be provided with strengtheningjwebs where the greatest bending' or break- -ing stresses occur upon thev fittings, which webs will themselves otter no substantial barupon the top bar thereof47 entirely independently 'of the screws, bolts or rivets for attaching the fittings to the top bar structure, these o ieninc', and sto D the'to i bar u l being indicated ati,

The invention coi'zsists primarily in an elevator door enibod une therein a downwardl movable panel, havingl a metallic top bar, the

lower edge oilI which is presented toward the Wall of the shaft and projects beyoinl the plane ot the panel, angle metal fittings, one flange of each olf which projects lroiu said top bar to a position Where, when the section is lowered, it will engage the sill, oit a doer v th its upper surface maintained substantially Vflush with the sill of a door opening, and the other llange Vojl each ot Which is provided with a shout dered offset port-ion passing under and en gaging the said lower edge ol the top bar, and means securing said fittings in relation to said top bar, whereby disengagement oit said shouldered port-ions oi said littings `troni said lower edge is prevented, and the securing means is relieved frein all shea-ring strains resulting `troni the Weight o?? thedoor panel and loads upon said top bar; ancL in such other novel features oit construction and coinbination of parts, as are hereinafter set forth and described, and more particularly pointed out in the claiins hereto appended.

lReferring to the drawings,

Fig. l a'condensed elevation, from the 'floor side, of an elevator door embodying my invention; Y

Fig. 2 is anA enlarged sectional view ofthe toprloar structure ot' a doorv panel embodying the invention with Vthe door in the fully opened position; and f Fig. 3 is a perspective view oi one .of the anglelittings.

Like letters refer to like parts throughout the several views.

In the accon'ipanying drawings, l have illustrated the invention iii-,connection with elevator doors et' the counterbalanced type, euibodying two s-ct3ions oppositely movable in the saine vertical plane, the upper section and the lower section at B. 'lhe construction of the sections it and vl5, excepting as to the top bar structure o'l' the latter and the arrangement et the running gearing therefor, is iinniaterial to the present invention, and will not be described, such details are old'and Well known inthe YVvrt.

The guide rail.construe-tion tor cli oi 1 changes in the top bar structure by door -sections is identicalV with that ot the other, and also ivell known in the art. Such a guide rail structure ordinarily consists of a Wall angle a, having secured, thereto a guide angle o, with which shoes c lniotinted upon the side bars ot the door sections, co-operate. rllhis guide rail structurenot only detines thc opening and closing movements et the door sections, but holds both sections close to the Wall of the elevator shaft, and in doors oi the t-ruelable type, prcvents,ior assists in' preventing the tilting ot the door as a result of lthe inoveinent ot' loadsith xreover `when the door is in the fully opened position. Y

The guide rail structure above rerierred to, ordinarily extends' throughout the entire height olf an elevator shaft upon opposite sides et a. door opening and Within the shaft,

The door sections A and i3 each ordinarily comprises an angle inetal traine constituting the bottoni and the side barsot the door section, and a part of the top bar structure there of, one flange ot this angle nietal 'frame en4 tending inwardly ot and the other flange thereoin extending parallel with said Wall and inwardly el the traine, f

ln the einliiedinient of the invention shown, the opening Within this trarne is closed by means ot a inetal sheathed Wooden panel ot the usual construction, such panels varying in thickness according to the dimensions ot the door and the conditions o'l` use; This panel in each et the sections A. and B is indicated at (Z. The detailed construction oit the panels, however, is immaterial to the invention, since corrugated metal or sheet iron panels may be employed it desired with Weich metal panel -doors niay'be adapted tor the heavy service required et truclrable doors,

In the drawings, the angle inctal 'traine' torniing a part ot the top har structure is i ndicated at e, theinivardly extending 'flange e of this angle being located atone side of the plane of the panel al so that the lower edge vot this top bar structure, presented. toward the Wall of the shaft projects beyolid the Yplane of the panel so that this top har may be utilized in a inanrner to be hereinafter described in supiorting the lower door section for trucking purposes. l I

"llheother'flange e? ot the angle nictal traine forming a part oit the top liar structure, attords a sijuiace onto 'which trucks n'iay when being` .moved betivcon the licor ot a building and the elevator cai"platform.

The tlan (121i s reinforced by lucani s ot a ine- Cil the Wall ot the building,

lll() tallic bar fpositioned opposite to,and'ei:tend

in parallel Wit-h, the flange c', and engaging the under tace of the flange e2, this bar preiicrably extending not only from side bar to side bar of the traine, but projecting bevond said sidebars to extent to bring the iievible connectiouf-z between the two sections .in the Cil the top .bar structure Vpresented towardV the wall of the shaft shall have the offset lowei edge above referred to andindicate'd at g in vthe drawings. occured to, and movable with,

the top bar structure adjacent each oor-ner thereof is an angle metal fitting having a horizontally extending flange 7i thereof projecting from said top bar structure a distance sufficient to overhang and engage the sill C of a door opening when the door is in thefully Y opened position. The lower `ifaee of this flange is on substantially the plane of the top of the topv bar structure, so that the engagement of this flange with the sill' Cof the door opening will bring the upper surface of the top bar structure substznfitially` flush with, or in the ilan'e of said sill. The other flange z of P' (i l 1 a each iitting is or a depth greater-than the width of thevflanee e 'or its eouivalent and has formed thereon a shoulder z" adapted to pass under and engage the lower redgegY throughout ysubstzntially the entire lengthzof the fitting. One side of this flange isdownwardly extended beyond this shonlde e" indicated at y', giving the flange a" general right angular arrangement laterally of the door or in the plane of the frame as well as transversely Aof this plane. The fitting is made of malleable iron, which may be produced with sui'hcient accuracy to require little or no machine work.

' contactwith the fiance c and an o iening 7a2 j n l i therethrough, through which one of the boltsm' securingthe hanger har with relation to other parts of the topbar structure passes, and a fourth opening 763 by which the projection may be secured to a side bar of the fre-ane.Y

The forni of the fitting is such as to not only` sustain theload of the doorand the stresses upon the top bai' structure thereof-,hut to form an angle brace between adjacent portions of the top bar and a side bar which'would have the e'fl'ect of very materially rstrengjgtllening this part of the door.

The rivetsand bolts passing through the openings Zi-r serve merely to secure the lit A in position in relationto the frame oit the door, and do not bear any part of the loads to which the door is sub'ected since the engancment of the shoulder fi with the lower edge 1/ of the flange c of the top bar structure, will prevent any possible movement ofthe fitting vhich will develop a shearing action upon such bolts and rivets.

rlhe fittings may be required tiiiiesto withstand very material stresses, and tovv minimize likelihood of the breakage of lthese fittings aty the angle betweenv the Jlanges/L and c', l provide reinforcing webs L at this point. These'webs,however, do not project more than about one-half lan inch above the flange it so that even if, through'accident, the wheels of a truck should strike saine, they would offer no material. obstruction to the continued movement ofthe truck, particularly as they are inclined as shown, and the `greatest bulk of the metal is above the angle between the flanges It and i. vlifith doors of ordinary dimensions, the panel Z is about two inches in thickness, and the to be closed is in the neighborhood ol' four to four andenehalf inches. The fitting need be'V nov more than about sin inches in length, and since it is located closely adjacent a jamb of the door opening, it would be but rarely that the wheels of a truck would strike'the fitting.

The length of the fitting, however, is suficiently great to mininiizeja tendency of the` springing of the top bar intermediate itsv points of support, thus ve-ry ii'iaterially assistin securing rigidity in this top hai' struc-v ture.

The flange c2 of the topy bar structure is ofa width proportionate to thewidth otl the between the edge of the silland the edge of the elevator car platform, whicliwidth willA vary according to` official requirementsas 'to clearance between the door and the elevator' car, and betweenthe door and thewall of the shaft, and the character ofl the trucking, Vtfithwide heavy doors, this vgap must be proportionately wider to accommodate the door which must be of' increased thickness and have much heavier inet-al stock in the top bar structure to withstand heavier loads. -For some uses, as in garages, the angle fittings maybe located not only'adjacent the ianibs7 but at points intermediate the jambs, and thus minimize any tendency of the top bar structure to sag under aiload. VV ith narrower vdoors the angle fittings are required. only adjacent the jamb.

N here 'ordinary hand f `trucks are used,'the clearance between the edge of the flange e2 and the elevator car may be from an inch to aninch and three-quarters,

but with vehicleshaving smaller wheels, it will be necessary to-sho'rten this clearance. lneither large or small doors, however, not

only the load Vof the door itself but oflvehicles Y g with 'theprojecting edge'g of the `top bar Y f structure.

adapted to engage a side bari, reinforcing webs adj acent the angle between the flanges oi' leach of said iittings, meanssecuring said shouldered'flanges with relation to said top bar, whereby disengagement of said shouldered portions of said littings 'from said lower edge is prevented, and the securing means isrelieved ilironi all shearing strains resulting from the weight or' the door panel and loads upon said top bar, and means securingsaid er;- tensions to said eide bars wherebyv each fitting is caused to act as a. corner brace between the top bar structure and a side bar ot the panel.

5, ln, an elevator door, the combinzfition with guide rail structures upon opposite sides of a door opening within an elevator shaft, oi a downwardly movable panel having anangle metal trame constituting tcp, bottem and side bars, shoes upon said side bars straddling the guide rails upon apposite sides oi? a door opening whereby tiltii g of a door toward or from the wall et a shait .is prevented, panel closing the opening in said frame, the lower edge olf the top bar oi saidfraine being presented toward the wall ofthe sha-lit and projecting beyond the plane of said panel, angle metal iittings, one ilange of each ot which projects from said top bar to a position where, when the section` is lowered, it will engage the sill ot a door opening, and stop the top bar with its upper surface maintained substantially [lush with the sill of a door opening, and the other flange of eachoii which is provided withV a shouldered oiiset portion passing under and engaging the said lower edge ot the top bar, and means securing said fittings in relation to said top bar, whereby disengagement of said shouldered portions of said iittings 'from said lower edge is prevented, and the securing means is relieved from all shearing strains resulting trom the weight ot the door panel and loads upon said top bar.

6. ln an elevator door, the combination with guide rail structures upon opposite sides ot' a door opening within an elevator shalt, of a downwardly movable panel having an angle metal frame constituting top, bottom and side bars, shoes upon said side bars straddling the guide rails upon opposite sides oli a door opening whereby tilting oi a door toward or from the wall ot shaft is prevented, a panel closing the opening in said frame, the lower edge or" the top bar of said trame being presented toward the wall or the sha-ft and prcjecti beyond the plane oit said panel, angle iittings of malleable cast metal., one 'flange of each ot which projects from said top bar to a position where, when the section is lowered, it will engage the .sill of a door. opening, and stopthe top bar with its upper` surface maintained substantially flush with the sill of a'door opening, and the other `[lange oit cachot which is provided withv ak shouldered oilset portion passing under andengaging the said lower edge of the top bar, said last named flange having an extension adapted to engage a side bar, reinforcing webs adjacent the angle between. the flanges ofeach oit said iittings, means securing said shouldered llanges with relation to said `top bar, .whereby disengagement of said shou dered portions of said fittings from said lower edge is prevented, and the securing means is relieved 'from all shearing strains resulting from the weight of the door kpanel and leads upon said top bar, and means securing ,sa-id extensions to said side bars whereby each litting is caused to act as a corner brace between the top bar structure and a side bar olf the panel.

"l. ln an elevatordoor,` with guide rail structures upon opposite sides of a dooropening within an elevatorshaft, ol.l a downwardly movable panel having an angle metal 'trame constituting top, bottom and side bars, shoes upon said siderbars straddling the guide rails upon opposite sidesv of a door opening whereby tilting of a door i 'toward or 'trom thewall ot a shaft is prevented, a panel closing the opening in said traine, a hanger bar upon the side of said the combination panel 'opposite said traine, means securing A said hangerl bar to said iframe, an upwardly movable panel operatively connected with. said downwardly movable panel, the lower edge olf' the top'bar of said Jtraine being presented teward the wall of the shaft and projectingbeyond the plane of said panel, angle fittings of' malleable cast metal, yone flange` of each of which projects from said topbar to aposition where, when the section is lowered, it will engage the sill of a door opening, and stop the top bar with its uppersnr'l'ace maintained substantially 'liush with'the sill et a door opening, and the `'other flange of ico cachot which is provided with a shouldered l 1 oilset portion passing .under and engaging the said lower edge of the top bar, and means securing said shouldered iianges with rela tion to said top bar, including a ybolt passing through said iiange, said top bar, said panel and said hanger bar, whereby disengagement ot said shouldered portionsoi' said littings 'from said lower edge is prevented, and the securing means is relieved r'from all shearing strains resultingiirom the weight of the door panel and loads upon said top bar.

vlin witness whereof l have hereunto a'iiXed my signature, this 20th day of November, 1926.

CHARLES w. rnnLLE. 

